Patt Morrison for Friday, 3/19/10

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, March 19, 2010

1-3 p.m.

 

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

 

 

1:06 – 1:19

Bad day for blue fin tuna & polar bears: international trade bans struck down

Going into the Conventional on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, the U.S. made a radical proposal with the goal of preserving an endangered and much-sought-after fish—an outright international ban on the export of Atlantic blue fin tuna.  Conservations, emboldened by the support of the Americans, could sense a big change in the way that countries viewed prized fish species.  Their hopes were dashed this week when the 175-nation CITES rejected the blue fin tuna trade ban, and for good measure also shot down another U.S. proposal to ban the international sale of polar bear skins and parts.  In both cases the economic interests of other countries beat out the conservationist efforts of the Americans—what does the future hold for increasingly rare tuna and polar bears?

 

Guests:

Mike Sutton, vice president of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Center for the Future of the Oceans

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UNCOMFIRMED

Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife & Parks; lead negotiator for the U.S. at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on Doha, Qatar

 

 

1:21 – 1:39

The big picture—will a reconciliation bill ignite a fire that burns partisan bridges?

It looks like—after waiting more than a year—a health care bill will finally go to a vote in the house this Sunday.  The legislation is a shadow of its former self; it will have to pass as a reconciliation bill—requiring only a simple, rather than a two-thirds majority of votes; and even then, it may not garner enough Democratic supporters.  Meanwhile, Democrats are tying their Student Loan Reform bill to health care, sending the message that this may be their only hope at passing legislation.  What political compromises are being made behind the scenes?  Is health care being passed at the expense of an immigration bill and any other long-term partisan legislation?  Patt talks meta-politics with some key strategists.

 

Guests:

Chris Cillizza, Washington Post political reporter and author of "The Fix" political blog on WashingtonPost.com

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Guests:

NOT CONFIRMED:

Thomas Downey, former Democratic Congressman from New York; served on the Budget and Ways & Means Committees, and now runs his own government consulting firm

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REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST:

Scott Reed, Chesapeake Enterprises

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DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST:

Mike McCurry, Public Strategies Washington

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1:41 – 1:58:30

OPEN

 

 

2:06 – 2:39

Black & unemployed in America: Ain’t nobody worryin?

The U.S. unemployment rate is approaching 10% and as disturbing as that number is there is an even bigger number to worry about, and it’s black.  The rate of black unemployment is a whopping 15.8% nearly double the number of Caucasians out of work (8.8%). The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) heard testimony this week from economists, policy experts and representatives of affected constituencies about how to best tackle the problem.  The situation is so out of hand that it prompted the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus’ jobs task force to say, “We have a serious problem, and the army of the unemployed is growing darker by the month”.   The CBC has been calling on the Obama Administration and Congressional leaders to address the issue for months. Is anybody listening?

 

Guests:

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo)

ON TAPE

• He is chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus’ jobs task force. 
• “We have a serious problem, and the army of the unemployed is growing darker by the month”, CNN Money, Dec. 4
• He says the primary reason for black unemployment is the lack of opportunities for proper job training in urban communities

 

Algernon Austin, director of the race, ethnicity and the economy program at the Economic Policy Institute

ON TAPE

 

• He testified before the Congressional Black Caucus on Wednesday, March 17.  He testified on the “Who Are the Chronically Unemployed?” panel. Mr. Austin is a sociologist of racial relations with an emphasis on black Americans.       
• He wrote Achieving Blackness: Race, Black Nationalism, and Afrocentrism in the 21^st Century and Getting It wrong: How Black Public Intellectuals are Failing Black America The Economic Policy Institute is a nonprofit Washington D.C. think tank. EPI was the first (created in 1986) — and remains the premier — organization to focus on the economic condition of low- and middle-income Americans and their families. 

 

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA 9^th District), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus

SHE CALLS US

• She represents the 9^th District which includes Berkeley and Oakland

 

 

 

2:41 – 2:58:30

Meeting of Minds

Get your time machines ready. Some of history’s most notable figures converge at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood for the second stage production of Meeting of Minds. The program started as a PBS show hosted by Steve Allen in the 1970’s and early 80’s, with historical figures (portrayed by actors) discussing everything from religion to philosophy. This week’s conversation includes Marie Antoinette, Ulysses S. Grant and Karl Marx and Sir Thomas More. Ed Asner (playing Marx), well known for his part as Lou Grant on the Mary Tyler Moore Show,  and Dan Lauria (playing Grant), best known for his role as Jack Arnold in The Wonder Years, join Patt in studio with a preview of the show.

 

Guests:

Ed Asner, actor primarily known for his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant. More recently, he provided the voice of Carl Fredricksen in Pixar's 2009 film, Up. He is Karl Marx in Meeting of Minds.

IN STUDIO

 

Dan Lauria, actor known for his portrayal of Jack Arnold in the TV series The Wonder Years that ran from 1988 to 1993. He is President Ulysses S. Grant in this weekend’s production.

IN STUDIO

 

• In late 2009, Lauria returned to the Off Broadway stage, appearing as Jimmy Hoffa in Brian Lee Franklin's Good Bobby, a fictionalized account of Robert Kennedy's rise.

 

 

Jonathan Serviss

Producer, Patt Morrison Program

Southern California Public Radio

NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles

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626.583.5171, office

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jserviss@kpcc.org / jserviss@scpr.org

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